Face of Nation : Ottawa, Canada Mayor Jim Watson has come out as gay at age 58 in an essay in the Ottawa Citizen. Watson noted that he was elected to the Ottawa City Council at age 30 and called his coming out 40 years too late. Watson has served as mayor for nine years.
“My reluctance has not allowed me to live my life as full of love and adventure as my gay friends who were bolder and braver than I ever was,” said Watson.
Watson called not coming out sooner a “big mistake” on his part: “Most of my friends through the years got married and had kids, and they travelled down a separate road filled with family, soccer practices and their careers. Most of my friends who are gay are quite open about it, and many are in wonderful relationships or, in several cases, married. That leaves someone like me, who, while closeted, doesn’t fit either of these groups.” The mayor said there was “not really one Eureka moment” that prompted him to write his op-ed but cited two moments that pushed him toward it.
